Chapter 1) Unwelcome Change

So, things are… strange. My twin brother, Robin, has lost all his memories, barely remembering my name and not remember his own at all. He retains most of his skills, but has no explanations for how he got them. And, damn me, I don't know what all to tell him. I can't summarize the past fifteen years except as a simple 'rough'. As if that encompasses all the fear and pain we'd gone through.

Now, we head to Ylisstol with Blue, Buttons, and Shiny, to join the Shepherds. Somewhere, I am certain the gods are just cackling.

"So, you are my younger twin," Robin murmured. He grinned, apparently pleased by the idea of being the 'older brother'. "What's your favorite color?"

"It's… blue, I guess," I sighed, picking one at random. I didn't have a favorite anything, really. "Sure, we'll go with that."

"Okay, and your favorite flower?"

"Lilies."

"Food?"

"Berries."

"Animal?"

"Cat."

"Favorite-"

"Robin, why are you asking all of this?" I gave him a look. "It doesn't really tell you much about me."

"Maybe, but I simply don't know, so it's a good basis!" Robin sulked slightly, and it was so strange to see. He had never been so childish. "These are things I used to know instinctively!"

"You really don't remember anything…" That concept was hard for me to wrap my head around.

"I remembered two things!" He sounded particularly proud about that. "Your name, and Chrom's."

"So, you remembered my name, you remembered the name of a stranger, and… that's it." I gave him the most exasperated look I could manage. "Seriously?"

"Is Chrom really a stranger?"

"We'd heard his name, yes, and seen him once or twice in the distance, maybe, but for all intents and purposes, yes, he is a stranger."

"But I knew his name." Robin frowned slightly. "And since the only other thing I remembered was your name, that would logically mean that he is as important to me as you are. Which must be a lot, since I forgot everything but your names."

"And I'm telling you that logically, that's bullshit, because we'd never said two words to the guy." I looked ahead, to where Blue, Buttons, and Shiny were walking. They were giving us space to talk, while also leading the way. The sunset painted everything a pinkish-red color, meaning we'd be stopping soon. "That's all."

"Weird." His frown deepened, and I was pleased to see such a familiar expression on his face at last. "So, Kestrel, during the battle, I could see-"

"Insight." I sighed. "You have 'Insight'. It's a magic that's not a magic, basically. You have to be born with the ability, and it's impossible to teach. The magic lets you 'see' things that others cannot see, such as the bonds between people or how skillful someone is. It's saved our lives quite a few times."

"Ah, I see." He nodded a bit before frowning. "What about… the ability to see the future? Do I have that?"

"No, you don't."

"Really?" He frowned a bit more. "I had the strangest dream before waking…" He shook his head. "Well, if I can't see the future, then it was likely just that. Maybe my brain's way of trying to make sense of whatever happened to make me lose my memories."

"Perhaps." I glanced at him worriedly. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"Maybe later." He smiled. "Oh, looks like we're stopping."

That we were, and it was clear why. Buttons was complaining.

"Ech! And all the bugs are out!" Buttons whined, sulking. "Noisy disgusting bugs that crawl around and buzz all over and bite your-!" She started hacking suddenly. "Agh! Won goph in mah mouph!"

"Aw, come on now, Lissa," Blue teased. He smiled, clearly having fun. "Hardship builds character."

"Blech…" Buttons looked like the world was ending. "I think I swallowed it."

"The protein will do you good. Want to help me gather firewood?"

"No way!" She stomped angrily and pouted. "I think I've built quite a bit of character today!" I personally thought she was being a spoilt brat, but I knew better than to say that.

"We should really think about food," Robin pointed out. He smiled gently. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I am starving."

"I guess you would be," I murmured. "We never did have lunch." I was so used to being hungry that I didn't even think about it. "Well, I'll go do some hunting and gathering. I'm used to such things."

"I'll-"

"You stay here, because you're hopeless at both." I gave him a look and he sighed. "Well, you were, at least. I somehow doubt the lack of memory would make you know the difference between plants."

"Okay, point."

"I'll go with you," Blue volunteered. He grinned. "I like a bit of good hunting." I thought it would be a miracle if he could actually hunt. "Frederick, clear a camp site, will you?"

"Certainly, my lord," Shiny replied. He gave me a dubious look that all but screamed 'if any harm comes to him, I will kill you'. I debated rolling my eyes, but decided to smile instead. It was worth his squirming. "Happy hunting."

To my surprise, Blue did actually know a bit about hunting. He wasn't the best by any means, but he was good enough that I felt comfortable leaving him to it while I gathered some wild sprouts to eat. He managed to take down a bear, and we cleaned and gutted it before dragging it back to camp. Once there, Shiny had a roaring fire going, and Buttons and Robin had tents set up. So, Blue and I cut up the bear, and I set about cooking it with some herbs I'd foraged. The smell of cooking meat made my stomach growl, reminding me that it had been over a day since I last ate. That little reminder made me a bit grouchy, since I had food in front of me. So, I was very pleased when I finished cooking and could actually sit down to eat.

"Ah, this is the best," Blue sighed, gleefully tucking in. "It's been much too long since I've had bear meat." He smiled at me, eyes dancing with laughter. "My compliments to the chef! It's delicious." Blue's eyes narrowed as he jostled Buttons, who stared at her portion like it had offended her. "Come on. Dig in."

"Pass," Buttons deadpanned. She groaned, sulking. "Gods, couldn't you have killed an animal normal people eat for once? Who eats bear?! You're meddling with the food chain! Right, Robin?" Buttons looked over to Robin for backup, and did a double-take when she saw him scarfing down all his food. "Uh…"

"Come on, Lissa. Meat is meat."

"Since when does meat smell like old boots?! No, wait, I take that back! Old boots smell worse!"

"Every experience makes us stronger, milady," Shiny chided. He smiled slightly at her. "Even those we do not enjoy."

"Really?" Buttons replied, scowling. "And just why have you not eaten your portion yet?"

"I… uh…" Shiny tried to hide his plate behind his back. "I'm not really hungry. Large lunch at all."

"Yeah, right!"

"Bear is a staple for people in this area, Buttons," I finally said, having enough of her attitude. "After all, it is commonly available, and people know how to hunt it. The alternative they have is to starve, since this area is still recovering from the war with Plegia." I shook my head. "You may choose to not eat it, but I assure you, this is something normal people eat, and there are many normal people who would not even have this much."

"I'll take her share if she doesn't want it," Robin cheerfully replied. A good thing, since an awkward silence might've fallen otherwise. Buttons just stared, and it seemed like Blue and Shiny didn't know how to react when someone else scolded their precious princess. "I feel like I haven't eaten for days."

"We haven't, really. We held back in foraging because it's been a lean year for the locals."

"Well, then!" Robin smiled and snagged Shiny's plate. "I'm going to continue eating. This is good. Thanks, Kes."

"Robin, please don't shorten my name."

"Okay." Robin went back to eating, and a silence fell. I felt like growling, but I knew the silence was my fault. That just made me even grouchier, and I tried to take my frustrations out on my meat. It didn't really work, and the meal ended on an awkward note.

Mostly to have an excuse to not talk to anyone, I volunteered to clean up the remains of the meal, and set about washing the plates at a nearby river. Unfortunately, though, footsteps told me someone followed.

"Kestrel?" Even better, the 'someone' was Blue. "Might we talk?" he asked. "About-"

"If you expect me to apologize, I won't," I told him bluntly. He winced slightly. "It's one thing to insult a meal while the one who cooked it is right there, and frankly, I don't give a damn about that, though she should've considered it. I do care about her acting like a spoiled brat, if only because I have to suffer through her whining."

"She's not used to these things."

"Well, she can get used to them or go back to your castle." I turned away, scrubbing at a particularly stubborn spot on a plate. "If that's all you wanted to talk about, you can head back to camp now."

"That's…" He sighed. "May I help with drying?"

"Sure." I handed him all the wet plates, including the one I had just finished scrubbing. "Have fun. I'm going to take a bath."

"Oka… hey, wait!" He called after me, but I waved over my shoulder and walked further down the river, hoping that this time, I could be left alone to deal with my thoughts.

I just felt wrong. I felt like I needed to scratch off all my skin, in the hopes that someone who could deal with all of this would emerge. Perhaps it was cruel to be so harsh, so quickly with her, but really, Buttons was being rude and ignorant. My nerves were raw from the day's events. I was never at my best when I finally had a meal after so long without.

I thought about how, when we were little, Mom would often tell Robin and I to just 'go to sleep' and that things would be better when we woke up. It had been a comforting lie back then, but the comfort had long since bled out of the words. Unless Robin magically regained his memories after a good night's sleep, then there was no way this was going to get better.

I lingered by the river for a while before deciding that I couldn't hide from my problems and situation forever, and made my slow way back to camp. When I got there, though, I realized something strange. Both Blue and Buttons were missing, while Shiny and Robin slept blissfully unaware. Frowning, I decided to go look for them.

However, just as I lost sight of the camp, the earth rocked. I yelped, shifting my feet automatically, and realized something horrible. This was no simple 'rocking'. The ground was pulling itself apart!

I started running, first to avoid being caught in a crevice, and then to try and find Blue and Buttons. Those two were away from the camp, and I doubted I'd be so lucky that they were back at the camp. So, I ran, dodging falling trees and jumping over cracks, hunting for them amidst the chaos.

"Lissa!" Blue's shout caught my ear, as did Buttons's yelp, and I used both to find them at last. However, it soon became apparent just why they'd been yelling. The ground had cracked and splittered, and Buttons was caught on a crumbling section, too far away for Blue to grab her before the ground fully gave way.

I, however, was much closer. "Hey!" I yelled. Buttons turned to me with wide, tearing eyes. "Save the crying! Jump!"

"It's too high!" she retorted. She then screamed as another piece of the ground crumbled. "A-ah…"

"I'll catch you. But it's either jump or fall." I skidded to a stop and held out my arms. "Come on! Before the rest of this goes!"

"I…" She glanced around, closed her eyes just long enough to whimper, and then ran and jumped. The ground collapsed under the force, but I caught her easily, even if I got a little banged up because of her weird hoop skirt. "That was…"

"Not out of the woods yet!" I set her on the ground and snagged her hand. I looked around wildly and saw Blue stumbling through some bushes, the briars ripping holes in his clothes. "Blue! This way looks stable!"

"I'll take lead!" he declared, already moving ahead. Deciding this wasn't the time to argue, I followed, dragging Buttons behind me. She tripped and stumbled, but she righted herself each time, so I just squeezed her hand reassuringly.

At one point, though, fire erupted from the cracks in the ground and fireballs rained down. Blue kept one eye on it all and led us safely away from the forest fires, even as the smoke choked us. I debated picking up Buttons, but decided against it. Unless I could get that stupid hoop skirt off of her, there was no way I could manage it.

"This way!" Blue yelled through the roaring of the shuddering earth and the crackling of the wild fires. He waved to make sure I saw which way he was running, and jumped down to a lower part of the forest. The impact of the landing made my teeth rattle, and Buttons yelped from pain. But it did get us to a section that gave us a lovely view of the fiery hail bombarding the forest, but that was also clearly sheltered from the flames for now. That was enough.

"Ylisse isn't really known for earthquakes, right?" I finally whispered. My voice rasped, and the exertion of everything started to catch up. I wiped the sweat off my face, and noticed my legs were shaky. "I know Ferox is, but even then, that's far from the border."

"We get hit every once in a while, but I've never seen an earthquake do this," Blue replied. He groaned, leaning back slightly to stretch. "Not to sound ungrateful, but what are you doing here?"

"I returned to camp and saw you two were gone. I got worried and looked for you." I shrugged, and turned to Buttons, using my sleeve to wipe the soot off her face. "You okay?"

"Maybe… in a minute…" Buttons mumbled. She was panting heavily, and I noticed her face was pinched from pain. "I… did something to my ankle. I think it's just bruised, but…" She glanced up and gasped, straightening in an instance. "Chrom, Kestrel, what is that?!"

Both Chrom and I whirled, and could only stare as light suddenly converged in the sky. A magic seal crackled into life, spinning very slowly, and a strange blue sphere appeared in the sky, surrounded by white crystals. It was almost like someone's eye, gazing upon everything, and I was reminded of the pictures of Naga and Grima in their draconic forms.

The blue sphere rippled, and strange… things fell from it. They smelled of death and rot, and they moved about jerkily, as if manipulated by an unskilled puppeteer. They wore tattered, broken armor, and they were stitched together haphazardly. What voice they had echoed eerily, as if from the bottom of a well.

They were also stupidly fast. Blue lunged, drawing Falchion and striking whatever it was across the chest. However, what would've been a crippling blow against a normal foe didn't seem to do much of anything. It just turned its head at an unnatural angle, bones cracking and breaking from the force, and then twisted to strike Blue.

I drew my blade, planning on helping, but I quickly had to block as another one of the things tried to decapitate me. I grit my teeth and shifted my footing as it pushed all its weight on me, in an attempt to break through my guard. Feeling my arms strain, I quickly stepped to the side, forcing its axe to slide off the side. I kicked it in the stomach, hoping to wind it, but it caught my leg and twisted, throwing me into a tree. My teeth rattled from the impact, and I slide down, groaning as I tried to undaze myself. The thing lunged, coming at me again, but I managed to duck between their legs and spun, stabbing them through the neck. Unfortunately, I misjudged the distance, meaning I also managed to stab the tree with it.

The thing flailed a bit, trying to catch me, before it growled and went limp. Its body disappeared, evaporating into smoke, leaving me with a sword stuck in a tree, and not even the blood of my enemy to show for it. I sighed and almost went to pull it out, but a loud scream made me jerk. I nearly panicked when I saw one of these… things… had Buttons cornered against a tree, her bum ankle making it impossible for her to do anything but slid down and bring up her staff as a useless shield.

I quickly realized I had no time to retrieve my blade and shield her, so I picked the latter, wrapping my arms around Buttons and twisting so that the axe would hit my back.

A sharp 'clang', however, told me someone managed to block it. I looked up, expecting Blue. Instead, however, I looked onto a strange person, with hair the same color as Blue's, but wearing a butterfly mask to hide their face. They held themselves as still as possible, as the twisted attacker tried desperately to break their sword.

"Help!" Mask yelled, glancing over their shoulder. Rushing footsteps told me that they'd been yelling at Blue, and the attacker glanced up, startled by the new noise. Mask took advantage of the distraction to twist, striking at the thing at the same exact time Blue did.

For a brief moment, everything seemed to still, and Buttons and I could only stare at whatever just happened. Then the creature growled and crumbled, evaporating into smoke.

Buttons slumped, relieved to the point of tears, and I helped her up, pulling her into my side as we moved closer to Blue. Blue shifted to stand in front of us, watching Mask closely. He kept Falchion unsheathed, but at his side, a clear indication of 'I am wary, but I am also trusting you.' Mask, meanwhile, just sheathed their sword, and deliberately set their hand on the hilt to hide the design.

"Quite the entrance," Blue eventually murmured. Mask barely glanced back over their shoulder. It was impossible to tell what they were thinking. "What's your name? I owe you for protecting them." Mask didn't reply. "Hey, did you hear-?" The sound of hooves pounding the ground made all of us whirl. "Oh, great, now what?"

"My lord, my lady!" Shiny and Robin rode up, both looking frantic. "There you are!" Shiny continued, slowing his horse to a stop. Robin didn't even wait for the full stop before jumping off and bolting for me, hugging me so tightly that I couldn't help but freeze. He had… never been free with hugs before. "Are you unharmed?"

"We're fine," I replied, mostly to have an excuse to step out of the hug. It felt… weird. "Thank you very much for finally waking up to come help."

"My apologies." It was telling that Shiny didn't even try to defend himself or make some sort of sarcastic retort. "The paths were broken and the fires cut off even more. We've been riding in circles."

"If I'd thought something like this would've happened, I definitely would've left a note," Blue sighed. I thought he should've left one anyway, but maybe that was just me. "Sorry, Frederick."

"My lord, so long as you and my lady are well, I am fine," Shiny replied. He looked at them worriedly, and actually dismounted to poke at them both. "Thank the gods… I do not know what I would do if you two were harmed."

"Frederick, we're not…" Blue sighed, shaking his head. "No, forget that. I'm sorry, Frederick. Again."

"Besides, you should give some thanks to the masked man!" Buttons chirped. She seemed to have recovered from her near brush with death rather nicely, surprisingly so in my opinion. "If it wasn't for him, Kestrel and I would be…" She turned, likely to gesture to Mask, but to everyone's surprise, they weren't there. "Huh? Where did he go?"

"My lady, let us worry about that later," Shiny replied. Now that he was sufficiently reassured, he was back to being stoic. "We must first put these… things… to the blade. Eyes open. We know nothing about this enemy."

"I take it they're not commonplace then?" Robin asked dryly. He frowned, tilting his head curiously. "They're almost like the dead, but walking. Is that possible?"

"Not that I know of."

"I have heard of a few dark magic curses capable of enslaving corpses, but nothing of this magnitude," I replied slowly. Mother had once called the dead, to be a shield as we ran. It had been horrifyingly stressful on her body, and I maintained it hastened her to her death. That was something only a tenth of this. "You also hear of historical accounts from a thousand years ago about the Grimleal and the walking dead, but I always thought the numbers were exaggerated." Now, I wasn't so certain.

"I'm going to hope that it's just a new spell, and not a demon dragon coming to play," Blue deadpanned. I almost burst into laughter because of just how… he was saying it with two Vessels of Grima standing right beside him, one of which was a perfect Vessel. You could argue that Grima was already out to 'play'. "There's forts. Let's head there."

"Following you."

"Kestrel, you and Chrom need to fall back!" Robin called. Though I wanted to protest, the injury on my leg made it clear that moving forward would not be a good idea. So, I jumped back behind the walls of the abandoned fort and moved to fetch a vulnerary and some bandages from my pack. Buttons, however, quickly bolted over and healed up my injury. She gave me a smile, and actually passed me a piece of candy she must've had in her pocket before rushing off, likely to help Robin.

Shrugging, I popped the candy into my mouth and smiled slightly. Sweets were rare thanks to everyone still recovering, and sweets like this was something only nobility could really afford. I hadn't had candy in a very, very long time.

"These things just keep coming," Blue groaned as he limped over. I gave him a concerned look and he shook his head. "My muscles are just protesting. We've been fighting for over an hour at this point."

"How can you tell?" I asked around the candy. I refused to let that little bit of sweetness go. "Last I checked, the smoke had blotted out the sky."

"Smoke is clearing up now, so the fires are dying." He half-fell next to me, groaning. "This was supposed to be a simple patrol. That's why I chose for there only to be three of us. With things being so tense with Plegia, I didn't want to take more."

"Why are you all even this far south?"

"Heard that the borderlands were being besieged by bandits, so here we are. Phila wanted to bring in the pegasus knights, but I thought that would make Plegia jump." He groaned again, this time leaning back against the wall. "What a mess. Emm is going to be worried."

"Well, no one is dead yet, except for whatever these things are." The candy fully melted in my mouth and I stood up to slowly stretch and avoid cramping. "Shiny seems to be doing just fine."

"Frederick is an old hand, though he is a bit out of practice these days. He's pulled triple duty all my life, and I think the strain is getting to him, though he'll never admit it. Too loyal."

"Huh." I looked out a nearby window, studying the landscape. I frowned when I noticed something. "Hey, Blue?"

"Yeah?"

"There's a redheaded rider wearing Ylissean armor and a blue-haired archer wearing a bib to the south of us." I pointed for emphasis as I turned to face him. "Who are they?"

"Wait, seriously?" Blue pushed himself up and limped over to my side, frowning as he found the people I mentioned. "Well, the redhead is Sully, though I don't know what she's doing here. She's one of the Shepherds, and a childhood friend." He shook his head. "I've… no idea who the man is, though. But having an archer around will probably be very helpful, considering Robin is our only fighter who can attack at range."

"I'll let Robin know." I walked off, hunting for Robin. It was easy to find him. He was snapping orders at Frederick.

"Frederick, fall back to get treated!" Robin called. I grimaced when I noticed that Frederick was sporting injuries. Since he was easily our most heavily armored person, that didn't speak well for us. "Lissa, I need you to heal him. If you're running low on staff charges, let me know at once." He sighed, glaring slightly, but he smiled when he was me. "Kestrel, how are you and Chrom doing?"

"We're doing fine," I reassured him. I made sure to smile back. "We spotted some fighters to the south, one of which is a Shepherd. Blue might've already gone to get them."

"Really? What sort of weapons?"

"One is a rider like Shiny. Less armored, and I didn't get a look at her weapon. The other is an archer."

"I will take both, if only to set things up." Robin sighed again, but this time in relief. "We don't have much more to deal with, from the looks of it, but it's definitely the toughest for last."

"Well, where do you need me?"

"Right now, exactly where you are. I don't want to give you orders until we get those two."

I nodded in reply and moved a little closer, leaning into him slightly. We had always done this when we were taking a break. He unconsciously leaned back, making me smile. It seemed there were some things he remembered, even if he didn't realize it. That reassured me.

I straightened when Blue ran up with two strangers in tow. I instantly dubbed the girl 'Red', because that was her predominant color, and the man became 'Ruffles' because of the stupid cravat he wore. "Any word on to why they're here when we need them?" I called, smiling slightly. "It is mighty convenient."

"Apparently, I'm a day late, so Sully came to check in on us," Blue laughed. He gestured at the two. "Robin, Kestrel, this is Sully and Virion. Ignore Virion's limping. He has simply learned why Sully is sometimes nicknamed the woman to end all men."

"Should I be worried?"

"His flirtation tipped over into harassment. He's apologized and promised to be more careful when he flirts." Blue shrugged, while Ruffles simply executed a picture perfect bow. He was definitely a noble. "Robin, where do you need them?"

"Right now, I'll need Virion to provide covering fire while Sully plays hit and run to draw them closer," Robin answered. His eyes narrowed. "But there is something…" He gasped. "Frederick and Lissa haven't touched base with me."

"Well, that's where I'm going." Blue bolted down the path, actually jumped down to a lower level instead of using the stairs.

"Chrom, hold up!" Robin groaned as Blue refused to stop. "Reckless…" He glanced at me pleadingly, and smiled when I nodded and already started off. "Thank you. Now, Sully and Virion…"

Robin's voice trailed off in the distance as I ran down the path, chasing after Blue. I caught up to him before long, mostly because he still wasn't recovered from his earlier limping. The two of us cut through some of the strange creatures, mostly just knocking them down so that we could find Shiny and Buttons.

We found them not far away, surrounded by these things. We quickly struck at the same creature, turning it to smoke, and then set up with Shiny to form a protective triangle around Buttons. She gave us a grateful smile, though there was a touch ruefull, for some reason.

"Sully is here with a newbie," Blue explained to Shiny. His arms shook slightly, and it was clear the battle was taking its toll on him. I couldn't even pretend to tease him, though, as I was just as exhausted. The battle earlier in the day, however brief, had not done us favors for this sort of fight. "Robin is coordinating them."

"Then we just need to take care of these, as I think the only one by their side of the field is the leader," Shiny replied. I tried to think of just how these things had a leader. "Now, once more!"

"On it!"

"You two are certainly chatty on the field," I muttered, before lunging forward to catch a sword user across the chest. They retaliated instantly, gouging my arm, but I twisted away and slammed my sword through its neck. I nearly screamed as it bit my neck, but it evaporated soon after, leaving me bleeding badly and teetering.

"I've got you!" Buttons declared. The calm blue light of a healing staff washed over me. "Oh…" She made a face. "Darn it. I'll need to to a second one to-"

"If I'm not going to immediately die, save the charge, just in case."

"Well, let me better clean your neck, at least." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and a little vial of what smelled like vulnerary. "Bite wounds are dangerous."

"All right." I let her pull me down to sit among some roots and held still as she carefully cleaned the bite injury. Blue and Shiny continued to fight, but I closed my eyes to focus more of sounds. If anything got close, I'd need to retaliate. However, the others managed to keep the things off of us, and I spent an awkward few minutes trying to not squirm as Buttons kept poking my neck. My instinctual reaction was to attack, but I knew she was only helping, so I held myself stiffly.

"And… there," Buttons declared. There was a bit more rustling and I realized when I opened my eyes that she had bandaged my neck too. "I'll want to check on it in the morning."

"That's fine," I reassured her. I stood up slowly, grimacing as my muscles protested. They were definitely, definitely not enjoying the 'two battles in one day' thing. "The others?"

"I think they've finished killing everything." She stood up too and brushed off her skirts. "Shall we join them?"

"You go ahead. I'm going to make sure we're secure."

"Okay." She gave me a little wan smile, before walking off. I watched her closely, worried she'd stumble, but then left to do my little patrol when she caught up with Blue. It seemed he, at least, was talking to Mask, who had suddenly reappeared. I was curious, but didn't bother wondering. If I needed to know, I'd learn about it one way or another.

As I walked, I found some evidence of the creatures, namely their weapons. Not even their armor remained, however, and that concerned me. Everything about the things concerned me.

I had a very bad feeling about all of this, and all my instincts were screaming that either Robin and I needed to permanently run from our destiny, or it was going to rip us apart.

We decided to just make a new camp in the fortress. Ruffles was apparently joining the Shepherds, out of thanks for the shelter, and because he was actually good with a bow. In the morning, we planned on making our way to nearby villages, to make sure they were all okay.

Blue, Buttons, and I had been 'excused' from watch rotation, but I was tempted to volunteer anyway, just because I couldn't sleep anyway. You'd think I'd just pass out because of everything, but no, I could only lie there, trying not to groan as my muscles throbbed. Those creatures just wouldn't leave my head. The old stories of how the dead walked and fought alongside the Grimleal echoed through my thoughts. Was this another thing from the Grimleal? Was this another trick to try and capture Robin and me? Robin and I had vowed to not die before our father, but…

Of course, Robin didn't remember any of this and, damn me, I just didn't want to explain it. I didn't know how to. How were you supposed to explain to your amnesiac twin brother that we were born to bring about the end of humanity? Especially since we were in Ylisse, the land that tried to purge all of Plegia from the world, just to 'stop' the Grimleal. How many would rise up in arms if they learned just what we were?

I couldn't explain. I didn't know how. I was scared to. I might be comfortable with dying, but I still wanted it to be a death of my own choosing, damn it.

"Kestrel?" Button's low murmur drew me out of my thoughts, and with a groan, I sat up. She squeaked as I did so. "Um…"

"Yes?" I prompted, mostly to get her to continue. I had no intention of dealing with her stammering when I was this tired.

"Uh…" She fiddled with her hands. "So, I know you probably don't like me, and that I'm spoiled, and that-"

"Buttons." I gave her a tired look. "What is it?"

"Um…" She ducked her head. "C-can I sleep with you? Please?"

"Me?" That… was not something I had expected. "Why me?"

"Well, it would be weird if I asked Frederick or Chrom, and even weirder if I asked Robin or that Virion fellow. Sully tosses in her sleep and mumbles horribly." She glanced up tentatively. "But I… I don't want to fall asleep alone. It's childish, but-"

"You're scared."

"...Yes…"

"You're scared because of earlier, and you do not wish to sleep alone."

"Yes…"

"All right." I found myself smiling slightly. "Everyone gets scared when death brushes that closely." I realized now that she hadn't been 'doing well' earlier. She had simply hidden her fear behind a smile, because there was a battle. That took a lot of courage. "Well, come on." I lifted my blanket up and gestured for her to come closer. "I do plan on sleeping soon." Somehow.

"Thank you!" She gave me a giant smile before slipping under the blanket, curling into me. "Seriously, thanks."

"It's fine." Hesitantly, I stroked her hair. "Just close your eyes. Even if you don't actually fall asleep, that will be better than nothing."

"Okay." She did as I said, and it actually didn't take her long to fall asleep. However, as soon as she did, she started trembling, likely caught in a nightmare. I sang a soft lullaby, in the hopes that she'd calm down, and hugged her to provide some sort of comfort.

I was vaguely aware that she had stopped shaking by the time I managed to nod off, and the last thought I had before I drifted into a dreamless sleep was about how I might've underestimated this little girl's strength.

Info on Robin:

Class - Tactician; Reclass - Mage, Priest

Though he knows some swordsmanship, he focuses more on magic, being very proficient in it. Despite losing his memories, he is a very trusting person.

Very fast, though some traits about him imply a frail health. Not very balanced, but his speed makes up for it.

Kind and mysterious, with a charisma that draws people in. He is also very eager to learn just about anything.

Author's Notes: Well, here's where the plot of the game kicks in, though none of the characters will know how MUCH so until much later. We also have Sully, our red Cavalier, and Virion, the Archest of Archers. As a reminder, Robin is Spd+, HP-.

Next Chapter - Interlude, Yllistol